jcc1025

Thanks for the review. We will be sailing out of Galveston for the fist time in November. Have been on this class of ship several times and was always our favorite until we did the last two on Oasis class. You comments match our experiences on RCCL every time. I think some people just have expectations that are so far out of line that no one could make them happy. Hearing some of those negative comment when we are on board just drives me crazy. Your review just confirms our decision to try Galveston, thank you.

My wife and I have sailed on both Oasis and Allure and they are our ships of choice now. Comments about staying away from high summer are correct, we sailed in May and November and hardly saw any kids on the ship. The ships kids area is so great that they all stay there and adult pool and spa areas work well. With that said, if you have kids the programs that they put on for them is outstanding and I think that is why they don't really want to be anywhere else.

We agree with tserface, we have been on every class of RCCL ship and a couple that don't exist anymore. Have to admit that Oasis and Allure were so amazing that they kind of spoil you for anything else. What that said we have book a cruise on Navigator and also like the Radiance class. We find them all exciting in there own way although we notice the redo of the Navigator removed the Champaign Bar, there were our favorite bars because they were kind of a secret and very intimate and romantic.

Bottom line is...it's all good.

It may depend on which benefits you are talking about. My wife and I are Diamond and our adult daughter has sailed with us a couple of times in a separate state room. We have never had an issue with her coming into the Diamond lounge or Diamond receptions with us. I show my card and no one checks either my wife or daughters card. If they said no we would understand but they have not asked on either of the trips we took with her.

We did the zip line three weeks ago and they were very strict about the weight. If you were close they have a scale at the desk and will require you to weigh.

After many years of cruising, and just getting off Allure three weeks ago we will add to how amazing the boarding and debarkation is on these ships. Of course there may be an occasional problem that someone will complain about but when you think about number of passengers and luggage I am always in awe of how well they do this. It really is a none event and that says something for how many moving parts there are in this process.

That's a great point Theresa.

We were there two weeks ago and your posts bring back great memories of beach drinks and that awesome zip line. Enjoy the ride and thanks for the pictures.

We have enjoyed the first or second week of December. Air fairs drop after Thanksgiving, cruise rates are lower and sometimes RCCL gives double credits for sailing in December.

Have a great time, we were on her during the Nov. 3rd cruise and had the best time. Can't wait to get back on board. Say hi to the girls in the Champaign Bar, hope their families are all ok back home.

You can take her in, as long as they are with you. We take our grown daughter in with us all the time. Of course they have to know the secret handshake......only kidding...lol.

We just got off Allure. We were on Oasis early last year and loved this place so much that we booked it twice last week. One thing to remember, if you are a big meat and potato's person then Chops might be better. The menus are set with 6 courses. This is a quality vs. quantity meal, although we were stuffed at the end of each meal. We have been to several nice restaurants on land and this stacks up with the best. Loved the service and the food and don't miss the specially martini. So if you like fine dinning, or just want to try it at a reasonable cost this is the place. The menus with your name on them are also a nice touch.

I just got off Allure last week and it worked great the whole cruise.

We just got off Allure on Sunday and I was surprised at how well the paperless coupon thing worked. In the past we would forget a coupon when we went out and at the end of the cruise find some we could have used. This time she dropped in the logo shop, saw something she wanted and when she got to the counter they automatically applied the discount. We like this better than taking all these little slips of paper with us all the time.

We just got off the Allure on Sunday and during the cruise we ate at every specially restaurant on the ship except Portofino. We have eaten at some of them (Chops, 150) on previous cruises and so had some idea.

By far, if you are willing to make the investment 150 is hands down the best in our opinion. I would say that this is also one of the best restaurants we have eaten at anywhere, not just a cruise ship. We actually ate there two nights. Izumi surprised me, it was also very good. Chops is always good if your a real red meat person, if not this might not be a great choice although they do have other options.

I don't think you will be disappointed in any of them, although I have been on this site long enough to know that they will not meet someone's expectations but for us it was a great time.

RCCL is our favorite, especially the new big ships. Hard to believe how Oasis and Allure can be so big but seem so small when you are on board. We have sailed a lot and these ships just blow us away.

It is hardly RCI's fault that you insisted on trying to attend shows intended for the other dinner seating. Since you are Diamond level, surely you have learned that the early show is for late seating, and the late show is for early seating. You made the choice to try and attend the incorrect show, and now you are complaining that you had to rush to get there in time? Seriously? If you had simply attended the correct show you would have had plenty of time. Perhaps My Time Dining would be a better fit for you?

 

If you had simply mentioned to your wait staff that you wanted to make the meals go faster they would have accommodated you no problem. They are not mind readers. The vast majority of the early seating guests had plenty of time to eat at a leisurely pace and attend the appropriate show time.

We agree completely. We have tried others and are now Diamond on RCCL. Know that due to completion and the economics of the industry all lines will change but for us, we have decided to stay with RCCL and think they are the best value.

If that is your feelings then you should tell them. After working for 35+ years in a service based industry I know that we always wanted feedback, even if we could not always correct the things that the customer was upset about.

I make it a habit to respond to RCCL both when things don't go the way I want but also when I had a great time. In most cases we only hear the complaints. Of course we expect a great time, and should, but how many times do we let them know that they meet our expectations or even better? Do complain when things don't go right, otherwise they have no way of knowing and I promise you they want to know.

In each case, good and bad, when I contacted RCCL they have always responded, not right away, and it might have been a couple of months, but they always responded.

I am afraid that this industry is going the way of the airlines. They want to make the initial price seem good so the only want to make a profit is to increase cost for things that might have been free at one time (luggage, meals, etc.). We don't have a problem with that, it provides those who are looking for a great time at the lowest possible price an option and for others they can add on things as they desire. We have become big fans of the specialty dinning options and while we like the MDR we also like to do a few special nights in these places.

Sorry for the long post, I tend to get on the soap box when people start to complain about customer service and their feelings that companies don't care.

The bottom line is we all have an option. If we don't like it, or the value is not worth the price then we can vote with our pocket book.

Great review, as someone who is also addicted to these trip reviews, yours is outstanding. Part of it may be due to the pictures of your beautiful daughter.

We have been on many ships, including Oasis, and will be on Allure in three weeks. Your so right, no words or pictures can really do this ship right. The first day I just walked around with my mouth open and my wife telling me to close it. We also were on deck 8 and will be again because of that location.

Your room display was just too good, your daughter has a couple of great parents. Look forward to more posts and a preview of coming attractions for us.

This is a great post, we did Oasis a little over a year ago and will be on Allure in five weeks so it reminds us how much fun we have on these ships.

I used to travel to San Juan a few times a year on business and stayed in a few place but love the Caribe Hilton. Always my first choice. Kind of old school Puerto Rico, great history but hotel and staff are great. We are thinking of taking a cruise out of PR next year and would not consider staying any place but the Caribe. They closed the casino a number of years ago but you can always go out to Coronado if that is your thing, and its a nice cab ride to down town San Juan and easy to get to the port.

Great review, we were on Oasis D8 and also thought it was the best location. Going back on Allure in November and both agreed that we had to be on D8 because of the proximity to Central Park and ease of getting up or down. Loved Vintages, 150 and Park Café.

Looking forward to the rest of your post.

We are about to take our 16th cruise on RCCL. We love the ships, the new ones Oasis and Allure are amazing. It seems like they would be crowded with that many people but actually feel small. It is worth it to gain some status with a line. We are Diamond with RCCL and they really make it easy for us.

I agree with TexasAnn. Old San Juan is a great city, I used to travel there a lot and loved to visit the city. The ship sails from a port across the harbor but it is an each taxi ride in the morning. You also don't want to visit PR without experiencing a taxi ride....lol.